


launch-track.mp3

by flyingoverthehorizon



Series: Late Night Drabbles [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Amusement Park, M/M, side junmyeon/sehun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 18:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14857574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingoverthehorizon/pseuds/flyingoverthehorizon
Summary: Baekhyun is a ride operator at an amusement park. Customers have a lot of behaviors that Baekhyun find annoying.





	launch-track.mp3

**Author's Note:**

> this was written in the middle of one night and edited in the middle of another. please excuse any mistakes.
> 
> just to clear up any confusions, in this amusement park people need a ticket bracelet or cheaper single-use tickets to go on the rides, which is not the case in most parks
> 
> this was fun to write and I completely lost track of time! I hope you enjoy even if it's short and probably not well thought through x)

"Please don't hump the lap bars."

Baekhyun might have sounded a little too annoyed and the comment may have been completely unnecessary, but it's been a rough day. Working at amusement park rides on hot days don't tend to make people happier, so snarky comments in the microphone are not that uncommon.

 _Why do people have to try the safety of the lap bars by thrusting against it?_ Baekhyun wonders as he pushes the button to close the entrance gate. _It is my job to check that every single lap bar is properly locked. They don't have to do that and it just looks stupid._ He sighs and leaves the operator's console. Thankfully he only has 10 minutes left stationed at this ride, and then he'll get to go to the big roller-coaster. The roller-coaster that belongs to his area of the park is one of the most popular ones in the park. That is both a good thing because there is always something going on and it's impossible to be bored, but also a bad thing since the lines are always so long the customers get annoyed and there is drama every day.

Baekyun hopes his shift at the roller-coaster will be a relatively drama free one, and that he doesn't have to take the ticket check position. He's dealt with way too many people who do not understand that they need tickets for the rides, how many tickets they need and that people that don’t meet the height requirement are not allowed to take the ride. How hard is it to get that everyone pays for riding a roller-coaster, or any ride for that matter, and that the height requirements are for safety?!

 

\--

 

"Yo, Baek! Would you mind taking the ticket check?" the chief operator says as Baekhyun steps into the booth of the roller-coaster to drop of his bag. "Jungah needs to go on her break."

Just his luck... but it's not like he's gonna refuse. It can be annoying but it's not the end of the world. "Sure, I’ve got it!"

The ticket check is a mess. The quick pass has become a long line and alternating between letting people in from the regular line and the quick pass takes a mental effort his brain is not all to happy about at the moment.

After 10 minutes of multitasking and being on highest alert to accommodate all customers the quick pass finally dies out and he can breathe again. But soon he gets into an argument with a dad who's kid is too short.

"My kid has been wanting to take this ride all day! And now you're saying he's too short?"

"Yes, sir. We have regulations that we have to follow. If someone is under the required height we cannot let them take the ride for safety reasons. The lap bar is not guaranteed to sit right if they are too short."

"So you mean we cannot take the ride?!"

"Yes that is correct. I'm very sorry but those are the rules."

The man huffs and mumbles something under his breath as he leaves with his kid. Baekhyun is glad he didn't hear what he said.

Why are parents so goddamned overprotective but reckless at the same time? They want to give their kids everything but don't want to understand the danger of being too short for a ride.

After that it calms down. As much as it can at a popular roller-coaster ride. A group of friends is next in line and the guy in the front spots the measuring stick in Baekhyun's hand. The guy is clearly tall enough but decides to look like he should be measured. He walks forward, half squatting and says, "Do you think I'm tall enough?"

This is a joke a surprising amount of grown ass men think is super funny and that it’s something they are the first to come up with. It's a good thing this guy is cute, otherwise Baekhyun would have given him a tired look, bordering on glaring. Now he laughs a little and attempts to measure him.

"Nah, you might be too short. I don't know about this. You should probably wait on the side while your friends take the ride." His friends laugh and the guy giggles.

"Yeah, maybe I should. Is it scary? How many have died in on this ride?"

Ah, another awfully common thing. Questions about the number of deaths.

"No one. It's a perfectly safe ride,” Baekhyun answers with a smile he hopes is calming.

The guy nods, seemingly happy with the answer. His fringe falls into his eyes and he runs his hand through it to get it out of the way. Yep, he's really good looking.

Baekhyun let's the group of friends in and goes back to work.

Soon it's time for a rotation of positions and he gets to check lap bars instead. Suddenly the handsome guy is right there, sitting in the ride, waiting for someone to check his lap bar. That someone is Baekhyun.

"Are you sure I won't die? Is this really safe?" he asks and thrusts against the lap bar. _Of course he does that too._

"Yes, I'm sure," Baekhyun responds, smiling, and pushes the lap bar down to the correct position. _Down onto the handsome guy's lap,_ his brain helpfully supplies. "Thank you brain for sexualizing simple tasks that are a part of my job," Baekhyun mumbles to himself once he's back at his launch position and pushing the button to allow for the train to roll off out onto the track.

 

\--

 

Two hours later Baekhyun has had his lunch break and he's feeling more relaxed than he did a couple hours ago. He's now stationed at a gigantic swing. It's not too bad. When he's in the ticket check to let people on for the next ride the group with the handsome guy from before is there.

"Oh it's you again!" one of the other guys says, and then looks at the handsome guy with a look on his face Baekhyun can't read.

When the handsome guy smilingly walks through the counting mechanism Baekhyun notices that his ticket bracelet is damaged. A damaged bracelet is technically not valid, but as long as it's still on the arm he can let it slide. Once again, this man is lucky he's good looking.

When it's time to check the lap bars the guy and his friends are once again sitting in the seats that is Baekhyun’s responsibility to check.

"Um, excuse me, the lap bar has not locked in place yet," the handsome guy says as he yanks at the lap bar. Okay, Baekhyun admits, this is not something people always understand, but if people could just chill out and stop worrying that their lap bars would still be unlocked when the rides starts that would be great. Most rides can’t even start unless the lap bars are in place. But of course it's not always clear.

"In a minute," Baekhyun responds. "We lock them as soon as everyone is seated."

"Oh, okay!"

When the lap bars are locked in place and Baekhyun gets to checking on the guy's, the guy looks at Baekhyun's name tag.

"Hi, Baekhyun! I'm Jongin!" the handsome guy says with a big smile.

_Wow, he's cute too._

"Hi, Jongin! I hope you'll like this ride," Baekhyun responds.

"I hope so too."

Jongin ends up liking the ride. Baekhyun knows because he can see it on the way Jongin excitedly claps his hands after the ride, and also since Jongin comes up to him afterwards to tell him. Ugh, why does he have to be so cute when he has such annoying behavior. It really messes with Baekhyun's understanding of how to deal with him. It's too contradicting.

 

\--

 

It's only forty-five minutes later and Baekhyun is back at the ticket check at the roller-coaster when Jongin shows up again, this time alone. It's the third time they've run into each other. It's a big park and the chances of bumping into each other several times are small. It's starting to feel like the universe is trying to tell Baekhyun something. Jongin seems more shy now. He's not as cocky without his friends.

"Going alone this time?" Baekhyun asks.

"Yeah, Sehun and Junmeyon didn't want to go again. It was too scary they said."

"Oh that sucks! But you're the bravest then," Baekhyun continues.

"I don't know about that..." Jongin trails off and looks bashful. "I kind of don't want to go alone... is there any chance you can go with me?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't just leave my position here, and..."

Baekhyun is interrupted by a voice in the speakers.

"Baek, your shift is over! You can go home now!"

Baekhyun gets an idea.

"Uh, Jongin, just wait a moment here while I have a word with the operator."

Baekhyun goes into the chief operator's booth.

"Could I take a ride on the roller-coaster before going home?" he asks.

"Yeah, sure! Just take one of the empty seats."

"Thanks!" Baekhyun hurries back over to Jongin.

"My shift is over now, as you probably heard, and I can go on the ride with you if you'd like."

Jongin smiles widely. "Really? Thank you!" He looks at the train currently rolling into the station. "I know it's a great ride but it's a little scary before the ride starts."

"I get what you mean, but don't worry, Jongin, I've taken this ride more times than I can even count. You've got an expert riding with you."

They laugh at that. Soon it's their turn and things move so fast and suddenly they are already launching. Baekhyun laughs and screams with joy the entire ride. Jongin also seem to enjoy it. He screams too and it sounds more like fright-tinged screams of joy than the panicked screams of pure horror. When the train finally comes to a halt at the final brake Baekhyun is giggling with joy after the adrenaline rush.

"Woah, it's been a while since I last went on this ride!" Baekhyun turns to Jongin. "So, how bad was it?"

Jongin laughs. "It's really amazing! I just need to get over my fear and get on it." He's toying with the ticket bracelet on his arm. Baekhyun sees that it's even more damaged now.

*snap*

Oh no. Jongin just broke it. He just had to be the annoying person that tears their bands off even if it's very sturdy and hard to break. Baekhyun wants to face palm, but Jongin is very cute, and also very handsome.

"Uh, Jongin, that won't be valid anymore now that it’s broken." Baekhyun points at the broken ticket band in Jongin's hand. "But if you can wait until after I change to my own clothes I can gift you a new one so you don't have to buy one. And then I can take you on some rides. If you'd like..." Baekhyun trails off

"Are you asking me out on a date or something?" Jongin asks after a beat of silence.

"It can be if you want it to be?" It sounds more like a question than Baekhyun would have liked.

"I'd like that actually."

It's a date.

 

\--

 

Bonus scene:

“Junmyeon! They have bunny ears!” Sehun squeals with joy as they enter the souvenir shop. He takes a pair from the rack and puts them on Junmyeon’s head.

“Do I look cute?” Junmyeon asks as he puts his hands in a V under his chin.

“Always, babe,” Sehun responds as he leans in to peck Junmyeon on his lips. “We should get them. By the way, how do you think Jongin is doing swooning that ride operator?”

“He’s more resourceful than he thinks, and considering how much he talked about him after the first encounter I bet he will manage to make a move, even if he’s super nervous.”

“Yeah, you’re right. He did convince another operator to give him the guy's schedule after all. But I guess we have to find something to do until Jongin decides to update us on his progress. Wanna go on the Flume-Ride?”

**Author's Note:**

> please don't ask for someone's schedule/when they come into work. it can be really creepy. in this fic it all turned out fine and the point of this story is that jongin is super sweet even if he does all the things that annoys baekhyun. 
> 
> thank you for reading~<3


End file.
